Chased and Hunted
by Pinklove092
Summary: This is a story about an interesting adventure that 16 yr old Rene goes on involving something out of the ordinary for her, highschool. On her adventure she makes friends and foes, of which is to be a vampire to make things go bump in the night?
1. Silent Travel

"Chased and Hunted"  
By Deanna Shaffer  
(_Title is subject to change, to something better hopefully_)

Chapter 1

"Your going to be late for the umpteen time young lady," the sarge yelled to the closed door at the top of the stairs, also know as Rene's mother. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that had some sort of catchy phrase on it. Her mom had a strong build with red hair that looked dull. Little grays were threatening to cover her head as they were coming out of her scalp. Her mouth was set in a hard line which was almost natural to her at this point. Rene rarely remembers that last time that her mother was actually caught smiling or laughing. Ever since the divorce things have changed, but she didn't want to show her parents that she knew things had changed. Considering the fact that they gave her one of those huge speeches before they announced beigh divorced, that nothing was going to change.

"Yea I'm coming," Rene yelled down the stairs as she opened the door and threw her duffle bag down the stairs. She was running down the stairs in her camoflauge green pants and black Tshirt, while pulling her hair back into a pony tail. Rene had brown hair with a tint of red to it, thanks to the gene's from her fathers side. Her eyes were green but had what looked like red flowing through the color, but Rene would regard it as her red tints in her hair or that they were simply veins peeking through the color. She was slender standing at about 5' 4", her arms were toned with muscle and so was her stomach. You could see the faint lines through the creases of her shirt and also at the rim of her pants. She wasn't stocky but had no intentions of wearing a dress anytime soon and playing dress up. Rene like to get dirty and play games that were challendging to her.

She could only expect as much because she lived her whole life around challendges. Her mother was 1st sergent and commanding analysis leader in the US technical field. Her father was commander of the US Air Force Fleet known as Stealth. Rene was expected to follow in their footsteps and make a good outcome of it. Her parents met when one day her mother was called on duty to help with a computer crash over where her father had been training at the time. He was a respectful gentleman who would take her out to dinner and show her a good time around his town. One fateful day they were both granted a one month leave from thier duties for vacation timing, so her parents flew out to vegas with some friends. Next thing they knew they were married and her mother was pregnant with Rene. Her father was thrilled, but became much less thrilled when he found out that Rene was a girl and not a boy. His dream was to have a little boy to one day take over his position in the Air Force. Their fights started getting more and more heated until eventually her Dad packed his things and left when she was twelve. Ever since that day Rene would spend the beginning of April til the end of September with her dad and the rest of the year with her mom.

When she lives with either her mom or her dad they always send her to base camps or to military acadamey's, thought she never knows why they bother because she isn't even there long enough to make friends or finish out with the year before she is sent somewheres else. Although her parents send her away they like to keep her in atleast a good 100 mile radius as to where they are stationed, parental instincts of some sort. Rene has been training at places like that since she was able to walk so her mind is set on military and it practically flows through her veins. She is mastered in most types of combat and she knows more about military tactics then probaly her own father.

--

"Rene you better be more punctual next time, the commander doesn't enjoy waiting 4 seconds past delivery time and you of all people should know better," the sarge said to Rene in a matter of fact tone.

"Yes I know, and I promise to be a good little girl, who bakes cookies and pies for him too," Rene responded sarcastically. Even though she is trained like a military secret weapon her attitude or spirit has never been broken. Her will power to be true to herself is stronger then any kind of weapon in this world.

"He better whip your attitude into a more productive perspective now go and make sure you call," the sarge told Rene while putting her hands on her hips and throwing an unsettling gaze at Rene.

"Yes of course see you in a couple months," she responded while making haste out the front door.

The town car was waiting for Rene as usual, though she didn't expect to see her father waiting for her inside the car. She was startled when she opened the door to see him casually sitting there looking out the other window. Rene was almost never accompanied in the town car, she would normally meet her father on the private plane or whatever the destination of his station was. This was odd enough to her, but she got in and fastened her seatbelt without a word. The ride to the airbase was silent, not even a hello passed between them. This is how it has always been for Rene. Her fathers way of shunning her for being a girl instead of a boy.

They walked onto the plane, where Rene fell into one of the seats across from her dad's body gaurd Alexander. Alexander had been her playmate and only friend since she could remember, so Rene began the game of chess. No words were passed between them like usual. Rene sometimes enjoyed staying with the commander, it was always so silent with no emotion on anyones face that it was relaxing. For her to retreat from her loud mother always bossing her around or pushing her into perfection was nice.

The commander turned his chair to face Rene after he seemed to finish reading some article in a binder that he began reading in the car.

"Alexander would you give me and Rene a moment?" the commander said. Alexander nodded and stood up to go to the back of the plane where he took a lonely seat by himself.

"Rene, This stay with me will be much different then your usual course." the commander began to explain, he looked at Rene giving some time for her to soak in the fact that he was having a public conversation with her. Rene just looked into his eyes in disbelief that they were actually talking.

"Right, well instead of going to some sort of academy I am sending you of to Downy High School in Denver, Colorado. I won't be stationed in Colorado, I'm going out of the country to Canada. It is quite a far trip from Colorado to Canada so I'm leaving some of my best men to check up on you from time to time. As your father I want you to experience what highschool is like, the experience can be quite rewarding. When we land there will be a car waiting for you, so do be on your best behavior and I will see you in the next six months." the commander ended there goodbye with that last bit of information. It was strange to Rene to have some hint of fatherly affection. Rene just smiled and the commander returned to his table and the binder. The rest of the flight was in silence.

They landed in Denver on a private airplane strip which looked like it hadn't landed a plane in quite some time. Rene said goodbye to Alexander and proceeded to leave the plane. But before she scaled the steps to the Denver concrete she looked up to her father but was only greeted with the back of his head. Rene then walked down the steps and as the sound of the doors to the plane were heard shutting her father looked out the window to watch Rene slip into the town car. The car drove away and the plane took of for the next stop, Canada.

Rene had her duffle bag in the seat next to her while taking in the new car smell, she couldn't tell wether it was a rental or if it was to become something permanent. Still Rene couldn't help but go over every inch of her fathers parting words to her, the longest he has ever left Rene on her own was two months. She wasn't sure wether she was prepared for six whole months to herself. Though the idea of it all being to herself was thrilling and sent a new surge of relief and excitement through her body.


	2. Sherwire Manor

--

Rene wasn't paying much attention to where they were going, but once she felt the shift of gravel under the car she peered out the left handed window. They had turned down a long dirt road with tall maple and oak trees covering each side. They had been planted so close together so that once they were full grown you couldn't see in between them. The sunlight peeked through the trees and sparkles danced along the leaves. Other then the intense overload of nature it was quite beautiful to Rene.

The pulled up to the front steps of the Manor. Rene opened the door to the car and stepped out. She took in the scenery of the front lawn accompanying it with a gasp. There was a large oval fountain with statues of two woman. The water spewed out from inbetween them and flowed down the statues giving them a sparkle tone. The statues stood so their backs were too each other and they wore flowing dresses that hug to their bodies as if they were actually wet and not made of stone. Their hair flowed down there shoulders in loose curls and their faces had sad but beautiful expressions sculpted on them. Rene snapped back to reality when the driver told her she still had to get her bag. As soon as she had grabbed her bag and shut the door the driver sped off around the fountain and down the dirt road again. Rene turned to the steps and proceeded to the front door.

The manor gave off a vibe. The vibe that it was fragile but managed to survive through every war known to man. The front double doors were large and so was the knocker. It took both of Rene's hands and strength to lift the golden knocker and let it fall apon the door. She did this once more with even more effort and finally someone came to the door. He was a tall and lanky man. His white hair was slicked back against his head and his face was set into a gaze of complete obedience with a hint of total boredom.

"Hello Miss Parks, we have been expecting you here at Sherwire Manor. We are all honored to share our home with you." the man said. His suit was black like a butlers and his shoes shined brighter then the floor next to them.

Rene replied, "Thank you Mr. ?"

"It's Mr. Jameson miss, I will be the Manors service butler. I live inside of the Manor at the top floor. The maids, cooks, and servers all live on the premisis, but in a seperate building located in the manor's backyard." Mr. Jameson said as if reading off a brochure to her. Rene suddenly felt more like a tourist then an actual guest who was to make this home for the next six months.

They walked through the foyer together until Mr. Jameson excused himself for a moment. The foyer was large and showed the three floors of the manor. Two staircases hughed the archway to what seemed to be the library. In the middle of the foyer was a large statue, seemed to be Greek. The chairs were made of a white stone, and were more like benches instead of chairs. The tiles were ceramic as well with square like designs, which also resembled something of the Greek era. There was a hallway to the right and another open room to the left. When Rene was about to proceed to the left room Mr. Jameson returned and cleared his throat abruptly.

"I am to show you to your room Miss Parks. Right this way, please." Mr. Jameson said to Rene. Rene reluctantly started forward up the right stairway and down the right hallway connected to the staircase. The wall facing the backyard was lined from right to left with windows. Each window had white drapes covering them, the sunlight flowed through them and lit up the whole hallway with a cheery warm feeling. They arrived at a door that was a light brown and had a teek texture to it. The golden handles were curved up into the sides of the door. Once inside the room Rene placed her bag onto the bed.

"Miss Parks I assume that you can handle yourself at this point?" Mr. Jameson said to Rene as if she were five years old.

"Yes Mr. Jameson I can handle myself. By the way do you mind if I call you something other then Mr. Jameson. I'll be living here for the next six months and I don't want to be strangers with anyone in this house." Rene asked hoping that he would respond with some sophisticated answer so she wouldn't feel like she was five.

"Yes Miss Parks, you can call me Fredrick." Fredrick said with the hint of a smile tugging at his facial features. "Now I hope you enjoy the rest of your day here at Sherwire Manor. I took the liberty of already signing you into the high school and buying you some school supplies. Your first day will start tomorrow, so rest up and if their is anything that you need I will be in touch." Fredrick said, this time with more feeling. Rene already felt more as a guest now then the tourist. Rene smiled and gave him a friendly hug. She immediatly felt his body stiffen which told her that she may have crossed the boundary lines, this could go a good way or bad way. Rene backed up and looked at the floor, but when she looked up she saw Fredrick smile, nod, then turn and leave. He shut the door behind him with a swift and graceful walk. Rene turned back to the room around her and let out a scream while jumping on the bed and throwing her arms this way and that with excitement. She couldn't believe that she was to spend the next six months in this amazing manor and attend high school with actual students her age.

When her mind came to a rest she suddenly felt tired and drained. Her flight wasn't long but the little shift in time had exhausted her body and mind. She decided that a little nap wouldn't hurt much, because there was much to explore once she awoke. The sheets and mattress felt like she was floating on a cloud, they were made out of silk and smelled of rosemary. The pillows were fit for a queen. Rene could already feel herself becoming quite accustomed to this place. She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes with a smile on her face as she slid into a deep slumber.


	3. Moose Tracks

--

Rene woke up to the breeze flowing in through the drapes, she rolled over and rustled around for a little bit until she found her way to the edge of the bed. She sat up and stretched her arms out, she had been in a deep slumber and was trying to revive her muscles. She got up and walked around her room a little while robotically taking each pile of clothes and sticking them in the first drawer of the old dresser that she could find. She proceeded to the mahogany door and opened it reluctantly, as if she wanted to go back to the glorious bed fit for a king and sleep, but her stomach had other plans. She lost track of time and when she pulled out her cell phone it read 8:11.

_'ughhhhh, I hate flying and these time zones are a killer.'_ Rene thought.The corridor was dark except for the little rays of moonlight that dashed in every now and then. The drapes on the windows were swaying in the breeze because every single window was open. It was april but it wasn't that warm as to be keeping ALL the windows open. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered a little when the drapes rustled again. Rene found her way to the staircase and went down, steadily placing her foot so that she wouldn't fall. Once at the bottom she started to aimlessly walk around from door to door.

_'Where is Fredrick to tell me where the damn kitchen is? Do they all turn into pumpkins or something at a certain hour?'_ Rene giggled at her little inside joke.

Just then she caught a smell of a sugary funnel cake like smell. She immediately turned and walked in the direction, almost as if her whole body was picked off the ground; floating in the direction of the sweet aroma. The door was large but not like the others, each door was brown with a texture of rotten wood, but of course it was a special type of wood that was made to look that way. This door was white and had a golden trim around its edges.

_'Wow these people must be crazy about there food. I guess I would be too if it smelled like that, oh my goodness there it is again, so so.. So intoxicatingly lovely.'_ Rene thought to herself as she slowly placed her hand on the handle of the door.

She peeped her head through the crack of the door that she had made herself and saw a man sitting at this table in the center of the room. The rest of the room was dark but she could see outlines of machinery, assuming it to be kitchen appliances like refridgerators and stoves. Her attention was forwarded back to the man just sitting at the table, and eating what looked like ice cream. Rene then leaned more into the room and lightly knocked on the door as so the man would not be startled by her presence. His head perked up and looked in the direction of the door, he then stood immediately and looked as if he was trying to hide the carton of ice cream.

"Hello?" said Rene first since he seemed to busy trying to conceal his meal.

"Hello madam, I am sorry if I startled you in any way. I didn't expect you to be awake at this hour." said the boy, he looked like a man but from the sound of his voice Rene could tell that he was only 16 or maybe 17 years old.

"At eight o'clock. I usually stay up much later than that, by the way I see you got some ice cream there, would you mind if I had some too?" Rene asked while giving him a polite smile, since it seemed he was guarding the thing with his life.

"Oh yes! Sure thing let me get you a bowl." he said while flinging himself into the dark part of the kitchen and then making a loud crash. Rene giggled and bit her lip because it had sounded like he fell on something or knocked something over. He seemed to be all jiggerty when he returned with the bowl. Kind of like he had ADHD or something like that. His features were stunning once he came into view of the light.. He had these dark almost black like eyes, but they had a brown tint to them. His hair was brown with lighter brown streaks in them. He was somewhat tall but not super tall, maybe around 5'7". His outfit was a T shirt and jeans which complimented his build fantastically. Rene then took a seat next to him and dug into her dish of ice cream all the while studying how perfectly the lines on his forehead formed every time he moved his mouth.

"Thanks, mmm this is delicious. I don't think I caught the name of it, what is it?" Rene asked distracting herself with the question so that he wouldn't think she was retarded from looking to long at him.

"The best of all flavors of course, Moose Tracks." He spoke with a grin pinching at the corners of his mouth, just as he took to much ice cream on his spoon and shoved it into his mouth. Immediatly he turned away and and started fanning his mouth. All the while making weird noises that Rene assumed he took to much and wasn't able to swallow while enduring the freezing cold feeling of the ice cream. Rene giggled with satisfaction to his clumsyness, at least this meant that she wasn't the only one who had those kind of moments.

"So… my name is Rene what's yours?" she asked trying to start up conversation, so he wouldn't be to embarrased about his little show that he just put on for her.

"Ben, I'm the kitchen boy. You know the guy who gets paid dirt to stay here after everyone leaves and is left with their mess to clean up." Ben said with a little sag to his shoulders but with a hint of sarcastic tone to show that he wasn't totally miserable with his work status.

"Well look at the bright side you get to eat this awesome tasting ice cream afterwards!" she said trying to cheer him up a little.

"Yeah I guess so; so what brings you to the kitchen?" he asked and cocked his head to the side to look at her fully while shoving a large chunk of ice cream into his mouth again, but he seemed prepared for it this time and he only winced at the cold.

"Well I woke up and was very hungry, and none other then the kitchen would have food so I ventured down here to meet you and enjoy some ice cream too." she said back as she smiled. There was a flow of something going through them and Rene noticed. She was hoping that Ben may have took notice to it as well.

"I'm glad that your enjoying it, so are you going to be starting school tomorrow?" he really did look interested in every aspect about Rene even though she thought she was pretty uninteresting.

"Yup some high school, guessing the local one around here. Hey do you go there too?" Rene asked. This could be the perfect opportunity for her to learn some more about the area and possibly make a friend before she even had to step into the school.

"Yeah its called Downy High by the way. I'm going to be a sophomore, my sister is going to be a senior." he said shortly while looking at the wall probably at a clock.

"Yea I'm going to be a sophomore too, hope high school isn't as crazy as the movies and books project it to be." Rene giggled because she knew she could handle it anyway.

"You would be surprised, but you say that as if you never been to high school before?" Ben asked.

"Well this would be my first year as a student period. I was always home schooled or uhh going to other more special schools." Rene tried not to slip up with the fact that she is a military trained teenager. She wanted to be normal for her first friendship, especially considering the fact that he was a reasonably handsome guy at that. Her knowledge of how to assemble an AR15 or M16 would not neccessarily slide into that section.

"That's cool, well listen I really enjoyed this maybe we can do it again sometime. I'll see you in school tomorrow!" Ben called as he picked up her now empty bowl and empty carton and retreated into the darkness.

"You too Ben." she called out after him but it seemed like he was gone, it was literally that dark in there.

She found her way back to the white door again and retraced her footsteps back to her room. She crawled back onto the bed, but before closing her eyelids she looked at her phone once more and now it read eleven o clock.

_'Wow it really is getting late.'_ she thought as she turned over and kicked off her pants then slid underneath the comfortable covers. Tomorrow was her first day of high school and she wanted to be totally energized and well rested just in case anything was to happen. Just then she shut her eyes and went back over her conversation with Ben, he was a nice guy and she enjoyed the fact that she was going to be staying here long enough to take on a friendship or two.


	4. Claire Beaumontè 1897

So was to begin the first day of the end of my life, Rene thought as she woke to a loud beeping noise which sounded almost alike to her alarm clock at home. She rolled over to the side of her pillow and realized the noise was coming from her cell phone. It was her mother calling, she just had the feeling that it was.

"Hello?" Rene asked in a weary voice still drenched with the sound of much needed sleep. She was not used to getting up at this hour and for students to do this five times a week with the hope of getting a good education in the hours to come was beyond Rene. The only hours she was used to getting up were either much earlier then this for drills or much later for a night drill back at her dads base camps. Which she noticed that she was starting to miss, it shocked her.

"Rene, hello honey, it's your mother. Yes, I changed my ring tone to that annoying beep that you hate, only to get you up at this hour for school. It is your first day and I know you are going to do great, just take a deep breath and take it one-step of a time. There is a lot of information to intake at a school that big in one day, especially when it is something that you have never experienced before. Well I must be going off to the Philippines, some sort of crisis between the locals and a U.S training facility for future spy's. Much love." Then the click sound, which made Rene feel as if her mother just landed her on a deserted island and expected her to survive on her own, just like in that movie Cast Away. Her mother did this to her all the time. She would call to explain to Rene something which most of the time she already knew the ins and outs of or to wish her luck on something. Being so used to giving commands at her status, she does not leave room for talk just orders and no time for a response.

"Yeah, love you too mom." Rene said to her phone at least a good minute after she had already hung-up. She was juggling the idea of just skipping her first day and sleeping in for another three more hours. A loud knocking on the old doors interrupted her thoughts of glorious sleep. She figured it was just her imagination trying to provoke her into actually getting up and going to school, so she turned over and placed the pillow over her ear.

"I was given strict instructions to get you out of bed and to school on time, if you do not respond then I will have no other choice but to come into your bedroom and wake you myself." Fredrick nearly screamed through the door. His voice was thickened with agitation, as if he was needed else where at the moment but had to stay true to his duty.

"Yeah Freddy, I'm getting up." She said thickening her voice with aggravation as well. _First my mother, then Fredrick, this is going to very well turn into my own personal hell hole now isn't it_, Rene thought to herself as she shuffled her legs out from underneath the covers and focused on standing to wake herself up completely. She then moved to the door and almost as soon as she turned the golden handle, Fredrick flew through the doors completely throwing Rene to the floor. He was ranting about something and throwing things onto the bed. It looked like clothes.

"What is this?" Rene asked intrigued.

"This is your wardrobe choice for your first day of school, as you know you were suppose to go out yesterday with the driver Josue to get some clothes. Since you seemed so weary of your travels yesterday, noted by the nap you took, I took it upon my own to send the maid out to buy you some selections. I hope that this is your style and you will find it suiting. Now breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. Please do something with your hair and find something nice to wear; the car will leave with or without you in thirty minutes. Good day miss." Fredrick bowed in a respectful manner even though his words just rang with authority. Rene half smiled at Fredrick as he glided out of the room. She turned to her choices and let out a low 'humph' at them.

Her years of training to be on time and prepped for every mission were not to go to waste on Rene's part. She immediately turned to the drawers where she packed her own clothes in and threw on a pair of low cut jeans and black T-shirt, she ran a brush threw her hair and looked in the mirror once before leaving the room. She was almost hopping down the stairway when she noticed a new development. The drapes were different; they were no longer a deep red but now a much deeper red, almost black.

It had reminded her back when she had traveled to Guatemala. She had been staying there with her mother who at the time was there to fix a glitch in some huge computer system that ran the country at that time; of course, Rene was only six at the time so she did not understand. She had befriended a boy named Malik; they would play some soccer in the dirt together. That was before the local revolutionaries decided to take charge and turn against the whole village. She only remembered bits and pieces because her mother came to grab her out of the way but that was when Rene saw her first shooting. Malik had been shot in the chest during the crossfire while pushing Rene out of the way and Rene instantly ran back to him. Pulling him out of the crossfire to safety, but the blood was flowing out of his wound uncontrollably. There was nothing to stop the bleeding and he was going to die. Rene distinctly remembered the color of the dark blood covering his shirt and her hands.

She shook her head and pushed those memories to the back of her head, and decided that since it was summer they wanted to keep it cooler by throwing darker shades over the windows to shut the heat out. The heavenly scent of bacon was flowing throughout the halls on the first floor, her stomach gargled. She was hungry and instantly remembered her conversation with Ben the night before when they shared that quite appetizing dish of ice cream together. She had not had a decent meal since she boarded the plane and was looking forward to eating.

Rene was about to push open the doors to the kitchen when the door came flying back at her and hit her in the face. Her whole body shook from the impact and force throwing her to the ground.

"Ooh my! I am so sorry, God look what I have done, I am so sorry. What an idiot I am." Ben said then began rambling under his breath. Rene made out several 'sorrys' and 'I can fix this' through the throbbing of her skull against her brain. Ben lifted her off the ground and took her down the hall; she was surprised how strong he was. Rene is a slender girl with a height of five foot five, but she also packed a lot of muscle, which weighed more than regular muscle for a girl of her age normally did not have. They approached a set of double doors at the very end of the hall. They were very tall almost reaching the ceiling and cutting through the second story. The handle had a golden trim to it, looking handmade with animal heads at the top.

The door swung open after Ben gave it a good kick, revealing the grandest room in the whole manor. It was one luxurious dining room. The grand fireplace was located at the far left wall of the room. Animal heads lined the walls all over, such exotic animals, that Rene did not even know the name of half of them. The table located in the middle was long with eighteen chairs. As Ben steadied her and sat her at the head of the table on the right, she noticed the embroidered etchings on the rim of the table. It was some sort of writing, another language perhaps. It was gorgeous and the crème color of the table with gray like lines running throughout it. The lines were staggered and almost transparent, the table was old and looked extremely valuable. It was then that Rene noticed a pair of very curious eyes on her. She remembered that Ben was still in the room and how much of a fool she must have looked like looking at the table like that.

After a clearing of the throat, Ben finally spoke, "I hope you're alright, I'm so sorry for hitting you with the door I didn't even hear you approaching from the other side. Breakfast will be brought out to you in a moment, again my sincerest apologies." A girl entered the room then looking a bit older then Ben but showed a resemblance to him genetically. This must be Ben's older sister, Rene thought to herself. "And excuse me again, because I need to get to school, I'll see you later though. Sorry again." Ben said while turning to his sister.

"You apologize too much Ben, really let's be on a friends basis here. Thank you for showing me the dining room; it is quite a remarkable room and maybe I will see you at school today. It would be nice to recognize someone there." Rene responded with a smile trying to ease the penetrating stare of his sister, but Ben only nodded and headed out the door with his sister following on his heels.

Rene returned to her thoughts and evaluation on the room at hand. The walls were loaded with portraits of people standing in boring positions. The kind of portraits you see reserved in museums, which you can predict are a sign of high importance or riches. Around them were bookshelves, not quite the size of those in the library, but they did hold books and golden plates. On each bookshelf was a name, but on the bookshelf closest to her she read _Claire Beaumontè 1897_. Rene's head was dizzy from the blow of the door, but she could not help but feel a strange feeling when she read that name to herself.

"Claire Beaumontè 1897" Rene said aloud even though no one was in the room to hear her. Again, that strange feeling, a feeling of curiosity and fear flowed through her blood and down to her bones, giving her a slight chill. It was then that Rene heard footsteps coming from the other side of the door and that she noticed that she had drifted towards the bookshelf. She returned to her seat and sat waiting for whoever was coming possibly with her breakfast.

A server came in with a single plate covered with a metal lid; she put the plate onto the delicate table as Rene cringed almost half expecting the table to break at the weight of the plate. The server then removed the lid in a very suave manner and exited the room again leaving Rene to herself and thoughts. She savagely dug into her pancakes and eggs; she had not realized how hungry she was until the sweet smell of the food filled her nostrils. Her thoughts then traveled from the delicious food to the name Claire Beaumontè. Rene then wondered what other names where on the bookshelves around the room. She counted seven bookshelves altogether, which seemed odd enough, almost as if one was missing. That was when she saw it. At the top of the fireplace was a grand painting, she had not taken notice of it before because she could not take in the full view of it. It was very large with a painted portrait of a woman, the only woman in the whole gallery of portraits. Her dress with dark red with intricate designs and she was sitting on a familiar chair. It was one of the chairs from the dining room, possibly the very one she was seated in now. This must be Claire, but before she had time to look on to the portrait further Fredrick arrived in the room to retrieve her plate whether she was finished or not and escort her to the car. That is when it all came rushing back to Rene. Today was to be her first day of high school and she still did not have a clue of what to expect.

"The clothes we bought were not to your likeing I see?" Fredrick asked with the hint of a rhetorical question.

"They were far from being my style." Rene responded with a short snip at the end, showing Fredrick that she was just as unpleased with his prescense as she was with his. Rene made her way to the front door and out onto the step. Taking in the front yard, the gardeners were at work, and the odd fountain was teaming with life. The car was at the end of the step. Rene climbed into the black town car with tinted windows. She aiming for something more descrete, but this was just going to have to do for the moment.


End file.
